URGENT APPEALS

On December 15 2009, at 7:00 pm the office of the Inclusive Foundation, a well known Georgian LGBT organization, was raided by five armed people. They did not wear police uniforms. Besides the head of the foundation members of women’s club were in the office. Strangers warned them not to leave the office and stated they had come only for their “chief”. Several people led the head of the foundation into the next room. Then they called on the phone and by 8:00 pm number of strangers increased up to 12-13. According to the people who attended the raid, nobody was wearing police uniforms (only in the office some of them put on waistcoats of the policemen); they did not provide a search warrant, did not inform about their identity or agency they represented and did not explain the purpose of their intrusion.

Georgian Young Lawyers Association makes statement about the information spread by the news program of the Rustavi 2 “Kurieri P.S” on December 12. The TV-item was about the activities of the GYLA about the people missing and arbitrarily detained after the war in August, 2008. Since the author and program producer of the TV-item seriously damaged several details and journalists reported biased, unchecked assumption relied on false information, the GYLA thinks it is necessary to make the following statement.

Public Broadcasting Company celebrated the International Day of Human Rights by “exposing” human rights organization. On December 10, one of the main topics of the 8:00 pm news program of the PB was warning of entire Georgian population against trusting human rights defenders; the journalists called upon the society “to expose illegal activities” of human rights defenders and more precisely, of the Human Rights Priority.

On the 10th of December –
the international day of human rights - the members of the South
Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders celebrate the progress
achieved in their struggle for freedom, equality and justice.

Norwegian PEN, the Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee are alarmed by the information that representatives of Special Operative Department (SOD) of Adjara Autonomous Republic within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia have attempted to exert pressure and blackmail Tedo Jorbenadze, head of the investigative reporting team of the “Batumelebi” Newspaper. We call upon the Georgian authorities to promptly investigate both this and previous incidents of pressure on “Batumelebi” and to take all appropriate measures to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all journalists in Georgia.

The members of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders and the Human Rights House Tbilisi are alarmed by the information that representatives of Special Operative Department (SOD) of Adjara Autonomous Republic within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia have attempted to exert pressure and blackmail Tedo Jorbenadze, the head of the investigative reporting team of the “Batumelebi” Newspaper. We call upon the Georgian authorities to promptly investigate this and previous incidents of pressure on “Batumelebi” and take all appropriate measures to ensure safe and enabling environment for all journalists in Georgia.

The newspaper “Batumelebi” protests the attempt of the Special Operation Department (SOD) within MIA to frighten and blackmail the personnel of the newspaper and desire of the SOD to interfere in the editorial independence of the newspaper; also they attempted to humiliate the name of newspaper in regard with the sexual orientation based on the stigma in Georgia.

The South Caucasus Network for Human Rights Defenders denounces the arrest and detention of the leaders of “7 November” movement – Dachi Tsaguria, Djaba Djishkariani and Irakli Kordzaia after they expressed their civil position through completely peaceful means. The Network also denounces the fact of imposing a fine on the detainees under administrative law.

Paris – Tbilisi – Erevan, May 7, 2009 - Our organisations express their
concern on the case of Mr. Vahagn Chakhalyan, sentenced to a 10-year
prison term at the conclusion of a trial marred by irregularities, and
who was subsequentlty brutally beaten in prison in Tbilisi.

By the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders
Bazaleti, Georgia, May 3, 2009.

In honor of World Press Freedom Day May 3, 2009 the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders expresses its concern about the press freedom situations in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Bans on independent and opposition media outlets, censorship, and harassment of journalists remain serious concerns in all three countries. In addition, in Azerbaijan, unlike Georgia and Armenia, defamation is a criminal offence.

National TV Stations have been transmitting soap-operas about planned so-called “Armed Coup” lately.

It is well-appropriated method of the government and it was specially designed before the large-scaled protest demonstration that is planned for April, 9

We, representatives of different groups of society, think that secret video-recordings aim to mislead and threaten the society in order to change the context of the protest wave; however, it rather has form of psychological terror.